MIGS
Eliminate or reduce your need for glaucoma drops with Micro Invasive Glaucoma Surgery. MIGS is a new treatment option available in glaucoma therapy that is a safe and effective way to improve the eye’s natural fluid outflow.
The MIGS procedures are designed to reduce intraocular eye pressure by improving aqueous outflow through the natural physiologic pathway as well as preserving important eye tissue and future treatment options that could help maintain long-term vision.
Why MIGS?
While standard glaucoma surgeries are often very effective at lowering eye pressure and preventing progression of glaucoma they are all considered major surgery. They often have a long list of potential complications. MIGS were designed to reduce some of the potential complications associated with standard glaucoma surgeries.
How Does it Work?
MIGS safely and effectively improves the eye’s natural fluid outflow by creating a direct path for fluid to flow between the fluid-filled chamber of the front of the eye and the major collector channel that directs fluid out of the eye bypassing the meshwork of tissue through which the fluid normally flows.
Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Procedures
IStent
At only one millimetre long the iStent by Glaukos is placed in your eye during cataract surgery and is so small that you won’t be able to see or feel it after the procedure is over. iStent is designed to create a permanent opening in your trabecular meshwork and works continuously to improve the outflow of fluid from your eyes to help control eye pressure and reduce the need for medications.
It is made of surgical-grade titanium so your body won’t reject it. It is also safe if you need to have an MRI scan and won’t set off airport scanners.
Hydrus Microstent
The Hydrus Microstent by Ivantis is the size of an eyelash, made of nickel and titanium and is so small you will not see or feel it after the insertion procedure. By inserting this into the natural drainage channel the eye pressure is lowered and the need for eye drops is reduced.
The device has been used in over a million medical implants so will not cause an allergic reaction. It is safe if you need to have an MRI scan and won’t set off airport scanners.
Trabectome
The Trabectome by NeoMedix is a procedure that removes a portion of the drain that is blocked in glaucoma to help increase the natural drainage of fluid from the eye. The tip of Trabectome uses an electrical pulse to precisely remove a strip of the blocked drainage channel. This helps to improve the eye’s natural drainage pathway and also reduce eye pressure.
Xen Gel Implant
The XEN Gel Implant by Allergan is a very small flexible tube, only 6mm in length and nearly as thin as a strand of human hair. It is made of porcine gelatin and this is material is well accepted by the human body. The implant creates a new pathway for fluid to drain from the eye and helps to reduce eye pressure.
CyPass Micro-Stent
The CyPass Micro-Stent by Alcon is a very small tube – only 6.3mm in length and 0.5mm wide – that is inserted just beneath the white of your eye. The implant helps to lower eye pressure and reduce or eliminate the need for glaucoma medications.
It is made of special plastic material, is non-inflammatory and it won’t be rejected by the body.
InnFocus Microshunt
The InnFocus MicroShunt is an 8mm long tube that is inserted into the eye to create a new drainage pathway. It helps to lower eye pressure and also reduce the need for medications.
It is made entirely of a synthetic and biocompatible material called SIBS and is well accepted by the human body. As the MicroShunt is synthetic, it is safe if you need to have an MRI or CT scan and won’t set off airport scanners.
Visit http://migs.org for more independent information about MIGS.
Types of MIGS
There are several designs of MIGS devices which can be divided into several categories:
Microtrabeculectomies
Is the use of microscopic-sized tubes which are inserted into the eye to drain fluid from the inside of the eye to the outer membrane of the eye (conjunctiva). There has recently been improvement in the design trabeculectomy making the surgery safer.
Trabecular Surgery
In most cases, restriction of fluid drainage happens at the trabecular meshwork. The trabecular meshwork is responsible for draining fluids out of the eye naturally. In trabecular surgery, the MIGS device penetrates through the trabecular meshwork without damaging any other tissues in the eye’s drainage pathway; this allows trapped fluid to bypass out of the eye as it was naturally intended.
Suprachoroidal Shunts
This technology uses tiny tubes with small internal openings to connect the front of the eye to the space between the retina and the wall of the eye. This effectively allows the drainage of fluid from the eye and reduces the pressure which causes damage to the eye.
Latest Laser Procedures
Generally, laser procedure to treat glaucoma symptoms are reserved for advanced glaucoma cases. These laser procedures are designed to reduce the fluid-forming in the eye by targeting the tissue (ciliary body) that creates the fluid. However, recent developments to the laser treatment procedures have proven useful even for moderate glaucoma cases.